NJ hit-and-run suspect had her license suspended 52 times

New Jersey police said the suspect in a hit-and-run incident over the weekend has had 52 driver’s license suspensions and 16 moving violations since getting her license in 1986.

WCAU-TV reported on Monday that authorities arrested 44-year-old Michele Toussaint in connection with the incident that hospitalized Catherine Calalang, 28, and her 20-year-old cousin, Laurene Jiminez.

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Toussaint is accused of driving on a suspended license when she hit the two women on Saturday.

Jiminez is reportedly in critical condition, having suffered broken ribs, a punctured lung and head injuries. Calalang, who was able to call for help after being hit, lost five of her teeth but is listed in stable condition.

“She’s traumatized,” said Calalang’s fiancee, Josh Llamas. “Every time she closes her eyes she sees the car.”

Police said they arrested Toussaint after stopping a vehicle making an illegal turn and finding she was the passenger. Toussant, who said she was being taken by a relative to turn herself in, was arrested and charged with causing injury while driving on a suspended license, endangering an injured victim, and leaving the scene of an accident. She is in jail on $62,500 bail.

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Arturo R. García is the managing editor at Racialicious.com. He is based in San Diego, California and has written for both print and broadcast media, including contributions to GlobalComment.com, The Root and Comment Is Free. Follow him on Twitter at @ABoyNamedArt